TAINTED DOG FOOD LIST

Are you wondering whether making your own dog or cat food is worth it? Just look at the length of this list! Please note the premium brands that are on it and read more about the class action suit here.

This is serious and it makes me wonder what is still lurking in commercial foods. Remember, this industry is unregulated.

What our pets eat is something that we can manage in a world where so many other things seem beyond our control.

Information like this makes me renew my commitment to providing wholesome food for all our pets.

Anyone have any good cat food recipes?

AKISMET

When I go to my Dashboard and Akismet tells me that something is spam-I don’t even look at it. I just delete it because so far they have never been wrong. And it saves me that, “My eyes! My eyes!” reaction. Call me naive but there are some things that I just don’t need to see. Thanks Akismet!

NEW DOG FOOD RECIPE

I like to make my own dog food. I think it is healthier (for them) and more economical (for me).

PROTEIN-40%

Chicken thighs

Lean roast beef-little bit of leftovers

P-Nut Butter

VEGETABLES-30%

Carrots

Green beans

Fresh Spinach

Parsley-(helps Little-Bits tummy)

Mint-”

STARCH-30%

Yams-(no sugar or salt)

White rice-(had to add because it was so gooey)

TO MAKE-

Cook chicken in olive oil.

Cut into small pieces.

Cook vegetables in chicken stock. Drain.

Mix chicken and vegetables with yams and p-nut butter.

Cook rice with stock and saved vegetable water from fridge.

Mix everything together and cool in the fridge.

Put in snack sized Zip-Locks and freeze.

Made about a week’s worth. And the boneless, skinless chicken thighs were only $1.00 a pound. Yea!

GOALS-

My goal for next batch is to try the brown or wild rice again and see if it still affects Little-Bits tummy.

I also want to try tomato to see if we have any allergies. Since I cook with tomatoes so much, it would be easier and I think they are very healthy. There is a bit of debate about this for dogs, though, so I am not so sure.

I also want to see if I can find a better freezer process, although the snack sized bag is perfect for one dog for one day with a little fresh food mixed in. Also, and this is no small matter, the bags stack perfectly in the freezer drawer of my fridge.

THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE

is not hate.

It is utter indifference.

Healthier and less corrosive.

BRAVE BEBE

I always say that Cotons de Tulears are not great guard dogs but they make wonderful watchdogs. Bebe has proved me wrong.

This is especially amazing when you consider her history. Before she came to us she was not treated well and, unlike most Cotons, is not social. She is afraid of men. She is a one-woman dog.

I was going to my garage (unlocked and not attached to the house) through my back garden (locked gates). It was the middle of the day. The dogs were behind me but are not allowed in the garage as Little-Bit always feels compelled to baptize the floor. Usually they just sit outside the door and wait for me.

Not this day! Bebe climbed over Little-Bit and scratched my sandaled feet in her haste to attack a closed door that leads to a small room in the corner of the garage. She was jumping as high as the doorknob and literally throwing herself at the door. She went what I call “Coton Crazy” and not in a good way. She sounded like a garage full of junk yard dogs.

I thought there might be a rat in the little room and beat a hasty retreat. Bebe would not come away from the door and I had to drag her out of the garage. Even then, she stayed between me and the garage- walking backwards, barking and growling until we were safely back in the house.

I made a mental note to call the exterminator and paid scant attention to the little dog who stationed herself by the back door. She was pacing and hyper-vigilant.

An hour or so later, the animals and I went out to do our “business” (my business was deadheading my roses) and I noticed that things were awry on the deck. Someone had been in the back yard. I think that someone was also in my garage.

The policeman told me that I should have listened to my dog. I agree.

I thought about putting a sign in my back window that says, “BEWARE OF BOA CONSTRICTOR”. That would stop me if I were a burglar. But perhaps my sign should say, “BEWARE OF BEBE”.

My 15 pound, white, not-so-young fluffball is all heart. She is also my hero.

ADDENDUM- I will be locking all my doors all the time from now on. And I will listen to my dog.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

My dog food recipes are rather like a Chinese menu-one from column A, two from column B and so on. I focus on what is in season, what is on sale and the percentages for each category that I have decided on.

PROTEIN 40%

Boneless, skinless chicken breast or

Turkey or

Lamb

This is usually poached in salt-free chicken stock, removed and shredded.

I reserve the liquid for the:

VEGETABLES, FRUITS, BERRIES-30% any or all of the below:

Carrots

Celery

Green beans (B.B. used to pick these out but now I saute them in olive oil to make them a little mushier and she doesn’t even notice.)

Green peas

Zucchini

Squash

Apple

Cranberries-few

Blueberries-few

Broccoli tops

Parsley-fresh

STARCH-30%-any or all of the below

White rice

Sweet potatoes

Yams

Potatoes

Pumpkin

TO MAKE:

Don’t cook anything longer than you need to.

I use the reserve stock to cook everything. If I have any left over, I freeze it for next time.

Mush it all together.

I might add olive oil and/or molasses before I freeze the food.

TO FEED:

After I defrost the frozen food to, I may add some Belgian yogurt, cottage cheese or Eggland eggs to the mix before I feed them.

ADDENDUM- They do get supplements. Everyday they get salmon oil, vitamins, and Kraft cheese with Angel Eyes hidden inside. (The Angel Eyes goes in cheese rather than their food so that I know each gets the correct dosage.

For training (the never ending story) I use the Kraft, home made meatballs, or chicken chews.

For chewing (I think their teeth must grow like rabbits.) I use bully sticks ( Don’t ask. It is SO gross!) and dental chews from the vet. I will leave a p-nut butter Kong but they are messy to clean. We do not use Greenies because of articles like this.

WHAT COULD YOU BE ADDICTED TO?

If I weren’t careful-decongestant. Or HULU.

Chocolate goes without saying…

How about you?

YOU CAN HAVE A LIFE-

or you can have a white dog.

If your white dog gets skunked, you can have a pink dog.

If you grow winter grass, you can have a white dog with green booties.

You can clean their eyes.

You can wipe their faces. (Some people wipe the other end.) 

Groomers will name their yachts after you.

Yes, you are always busy if you have a white dog.

My personal definition of insanity?

Have two.Little-Bit, Bebe

ADDENDUM-

If it rains, you can have

Bebe

a black and white dog!

ADDENDUM AGAIN!- And when they get wet, you can have Rasta dogs!

UPDATE- 5/9/09

Or you can have a red dog. This is something I hope you never have to see.

Little-Bit hurt her front paws today. There was blood everywhere- walls, floor, doors, around her mouth (from licking her paws) and on Bebe who had tried to comfort her. I really thought I was going to be sick.

We cleaned her up and called the vet. D.D. cleaned and disinfected the house. Little-Bit should be fine. It was a lot worse than it looked.

But we will be making some changes.